Composers and instrumentalists Beth Porter and Ben Please have been combing their skills to create original musical scores since 2010, for film, animation and for their personal projects. They have worked at all scales, from indy films and bespoke scores with just themselves performing, to high budget orchestral and choral scores with hundreds of musicians. They both share a passion for recording real acoustic instruments for soundtracks that serve and enhance a story. With backgrounds in contemporary music making at the highest levels, they have collaborated with some of the greatest authors of our times as The Bookshop Band, working and recording in their own recording studio in South West Scotland, as well as orchestral stages, globally renowned studios and field recording. Ben also brings his own unique experience in film making, having filmed and edited over 300 short films, and was most recently the DOP and sound designer on the award winning indie feature, Stella.

BETH PORTER

An award winning and BBC Folk Award nominated (2019), Proms soloist (2019), multi-instrumentalist (cello, recorder, ukulele, voice) who has toured and recorded with some of the biggest names in contemporary music, including Peter Gabriel, Newton Faulkner, The Heavy, The Proclaimers, Eliza Carthy and Petula Clark. She is a member of The Lost Words: Spell Songs, collaborating with Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, and is the cellist in the Red Carousel string quartet. Beth has also performed as cellist on many feature films, including recently Far From The Madding Crowd (2015) and Departure (2015).

fRoots *****
“Spell Songs is a work of vision and brilliance...”

 Nick McCabe, The Verve
“Utterly charming"

FOLK Radio
"A huge talent... to create endearing songs which are brimming with beautiful musical intuition." 

BEN PLEASE

Pianist, guitarist and music producer with over 21 years writing and performing experience. He has written and released 19 studio albums, most with The Bookshop Band in collaboration with over 100 authors including Philip Pullman, Joanne Harris and ManBooker Prize winner Ben Okri, and is currently collaborating with Pete Townshend (The Who) who is producing the next album.

Ben’s film-score journey began in tandem with his animator brother Mikey Please, composing numerous scores for his films over the last 16 years. Ben is also an experienced film editor and documentary maker himself, having co-produced over 300 short films between 2001 - 2010 in East Africa, numerous music videos, and was DOP on the awards winning indie feature, Stella.

Pete Townshend, The Who
“I am enchanted, such variation and delicacy… such latent power, really great work. It reminded me of my days listening to Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention and The Incredible String Band… - a great discovery and inspiration.”

BBC 6Music
“Uplifting, melodic, poetic, with vocals that shine like a diamond in a rough of rural acoustica… it’s beyond captivating… The Bookshop Band have nailed it. With aplomb. And love. And sparkly, radiant magic. It’s a modern day Twinkle meets fairytale-land for adults. You’ll be smitten.”

Louis de Bernières
“The Bookshop Band’s approach to song writing is entirely original, and the results are both surprising and beautiful. They are two talented musicians coming to the same point from different directions.”